OveraCuppaCoffee

Humility is opportunity.

2012-01-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Recall that feeling in the pit of your stomach. That feeling that almost makes youindignant. That feeling—the feeling of abruised ego. Oh, the feeling ofhumility. And if you are having trouble remembering the pleasant feeling of humility, let me remind you. I recently experienced it.

And I attempted to reason with myself. If I could pinpoint the basis of myinadequacy, I could cure my inadequacy. Surely, inadequacy was the exception, not my condition. But, we are inadequate. Thus, humility is inevitable.

Humility is opportunity.

Humility produces an opportunity to acknowledge our utterdependence on God. Humility propels meto call out to God because I am not enough. Humility, even in meaningless circumstances, serves a purpose: we areinadequate, but our Lord is not.

I am nothing. I amnothing. I am nothing without God. We are nothing without God. And I too easily forget. And maybe you forget too.

Our nothingness does not stop there. We must remember our nothingness, but wemust not wallow in it. We are encouragedbecause our Lord has made us beyond capable.

We will never experience the height of our Lord’s strength ifwe do not experience the depth of our inadequacy.

Our Lord urges us to humble ourselves before Him. God calls us to voluntary humility. Too often the only humility I experience isinvoluntary humility. And even in thoseinstances of involuntary humility, God is so gracious to remind me of theblessing I am missing. Once we humblysubmit ourselves to God, we no longer have a bruised ego; we have noego. And when we lack an ego, we aremore capable than we have ever been: we are at our fullest communion with ourLord.

Praise God that our God is so full of grace that God sends gentle—althoughsomewhat painful—reminders of our dependence on God. Praise God that He does not let us miss thejoy of reliance on Him. Praise God that we are nothing on our own, but we are everythingin Him.

How painful the reminders. How gracious our God. How lovelyour dependence. How powerful His strength.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10 NIV).

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, thathe may lift you up in due time.” (1Peter 5:6 NIV).

“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and thosewho humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11 NIV).

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentleand humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29 NIV).

After I lugged my bruised ego to the car, my husband would not quitstaring at me. Eventually, he asked, “Doesthat zit hurt?” Yes, I have a horn. ..on my chin. And yes, I left my flyundone the other day.

Is it due timeyet, God?

Much love to you,

Paige

The love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

2012-01-20T07:53:00.000-08:00

The security we have in our Lord and our Lord’s love isunlike the security or love we experience in any other relationship. This truth is nothing new; we hear this allthe time. And we believe it, while wefail to experience it. It ismind-blowing. It is life-changing. It is eternal. And like most of God’s qualities, it bafflesme.

If anybody is entitled to do whatever he wants, it is certainlyGod. God, the most powerful being whowas, and is, and is to come, has every right to be inconsistent. God has every right to leave us to ourselves. God has every right to not followthrough. God, by His sovereignty, hasall authority to be contrary to the God we know—and to still remain God. Our Father, the most loving being that willever exist, has the absolute prerogative to withhold His love or to love usconditionally. Our Lord, the epitome ofgrace, would be wholly justified in condemning us.

But because God is consistent; because God does not leave usto ourselves; because God loves us unconditionally; because God is full ofgrace; because God’s qualities are unchanging; because God is infinite, we aresecure in God.

We must ground our understanding of God’s love in truth beforewe are able to fully experience the love of God that is Christ Jesus.

And because our relationship with Christ is unlike any otherrelationship, we must be careful how we characterize our relationship withChrist. If our characterization of ourrelationship with God is based on our experiences with any other, we must bescrupulous to address any mischaracterizations of God’s love. While much of my understanding of God isbased on my relationships with those I love and those who love me, I must becareful to confirm those as truth. And Iam not just talking about bad characterizations. Weoften project wonderful qualities we experience in those who love us onto God—andperhaps those characterizations are not premised on truth either.

The love of parents, the love of spouses, the love offamily, and the love of friends certainly help us better understand God’s love. But, God’s love does not stopthere. While my spouse; while my parents;while my grandparents; while my friends have very much exemplified what love is—what God’s love is—they will never be able to love me like God does. And even though a parent or any other humanbeing has loved you with everything they have and in the purest sense of love,that love will never be as perfect, as unconditional, or as whole as God’s love for you.

I must identify the characteristics of the relationshipsthat I have projected onto God that do not align with God’s Word. I must separate them from myunderstanding of God’s love. Youmust do this too. For the godly lovewe have experienced, we must understand that God’s love goes far beyondthat.

Because of this love, we are secure in God. We can be secure in no other love orindividual, but we are secure in our Lord.

When we lose everything, we do not lose the love of ourLord. When we stumble through the valleys of life; when we commit the most repulsive act imaginable; when we deny God; whenwe repeatedly fail; when we do these things again and again, we still remain inthe love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Andif that is all we ever have, it is far more than we could ever ask. And it is far more than we will ever need. And we are secure in it.

Praise God, praise God for the unending, all-encompassinglove of God that is in Christ Jesus.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neitherangels nor demons, neither the present nor thefuture, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in allcreation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in ChristJesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38, 39 NIV).

“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lotsecure.” (Psalm 16:5 NIV).

“[T]hrough the unfailing love of the Most High he will notbe shaken.” (Psalm 21:7 NIV).

“If I go to the heavens, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if Isettle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, yourright hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm139:8-10 NIV).

There's nothing like starting the day with a party in your mouth.

Much love to you,

Paige

Discipline before desire.

2012-01-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

I wish that my everyday desire for the Lord scintillated withpassion. I would be lying if I told youmy emotional desire for the Lord were constant. But, I am continually learning that there is a difference between myemotional journey and my spiritual journey.

While my spiritual desires remain disciplined and steady, my emotional desires can be fleeting and ever-changing. While I always desire Christ with my heart, Ido not always desire Christ with my emotions. And I think this is true for many. And perhaps this is true for you.

Then, it becomes about what we do despite our emotions.

Our Lord prompts us to do things differently than thisworld: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world. . .” (Romans 12:2 NIV). Many may believe that desire follows emotion. That certainly makes sense. Yet, the Lord has led me to also believe that desirefollows discipline. We aretruly free to make ourselves do something only if we want to do thatsomething. But, if my walk with the Lordfollows that mentality, my walk is unsteady; my walk is inconsistent; my walkis purely based on emotion.

In my mind, I may not feel the emotion of desire—the desireto seek after God when I am feeling discouraged, when I am feeling uninspired,when I am feeling disconnected, when I am feeling empty, when I am feelingnegative, and when I am feeling useless. Inmy mind, I may also not feel the emotion of desire to seek after God when I am feeling completewithout relying on God, or confident that things are going well without callingupon God, or when I feel unaware of my need for God. But, we are transformed because the Lord hasrenewed our mind. And when the Lord renews our minds, our journey in Christ is no longer predicated on emotion.

When one stops consuming food, one eventually stopshungering for food. Likewise, when one stopsconsuming time with our Lord, one stops hungering for time with our Lord. As hunger follows the consumption of food, spiritual hunger follows the consumption of our Lord. Thus, desire follows discipline. I pursue God regardless of my emotions. And God fills me with the joy of pursuingHim. And my emotions eventually alignwith the Lord’s Spirit in me. The moreof God I experience, the more of God I want. And I want you to experience this.

Praise God for revolutionizing our minds. I pray we seek God when we do not feel likeseeking God, so that God fulfills us despite our lack of emotional desire. I believe that when we are fulfilled by our Lord,our Lord gives us an emotional desire for more of our Lord.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but betransformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2 NIV).

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that byit you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord isgood.” (1 Peter 2:2,3 NIV).

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desiresof your heart.” (Psalm 37:4 NIV).

Many times, the coffee cup I choose each morning reflects how I amfeeling. Today, I am feeling ratherdelicate.

I know, I know: there is nothing delicate about that big ol’booty that follows me. Like a tin roofin a hail storm, I tell ya.

Much love to you,

Paige

Day by day.

2012-01-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

A new year brings a new start. It is a catalyst for change. It is a beginning. It is fresh. And we get so excited about the opportunity for a do-over.

But every moment is a do-over for us through Christ.

The refreshment a new year brings reminds me of the refreshment Christ brings. Yet, Christ is more than a mere refreshment.

At the new year, we may have a new mindset, and we may truly be in the process of changing. But, we are yet to be changed. We are still digging our way out of the hole. We are still carrying around past follies. We are still making restitution for our failings. Even with a changed mentality; even with different habits; even with new decisions, we begin the new year where we left off—hopeful to not remain there.

This is not so with Christ.

Christ does not just alter our old heart; Christ gives us a new heart. Christ does not solely forgive us only to leave us to continue carrying around our blemishes from our past misdeeds; Christ wipes our slate clean. Christ does not dust us off and leave us where we are; Christ propels us forward through His Spirit within us. Our Lord does not take our burdens to later return them to us. God does not create us anew to trudge through life only to become tainted again.

Christ renews us inwardly day by day. In Christ, we are perpetually new--forever. I am not who I was yesterday, and I am not who I will be tomorrow. And neither are you.

While it is one thing to deal with effects of our past—indeed we must take responsibility—we do not have to bear the spiritual burdens of our past. Therefore, I implore you to stop lugging around your prior misdeeds. And I am not just talking about sin. I encourage you to let go of the condemnation, of the discouragement, of the disappointment, of the regrets, of the guilt, of the anger, of the “the what ifs,” of the “should haves,” of the old, of the past pain, of the enemy’s lies, of the unforgiveness, and of the bitterness.

Praise God that in Christ Jesus, at this very moment, we are new. We are free. Let us start living like it.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV).

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).

“[A]s far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12 NIV).

Speaking of a new year, my husband suggested I give up coffee for my New Year's resolution. I could easily give up coffee. I would have no withdrawals whatsoever. I would be a very happy person. It would just ruin this ministry--and I would not do that to you guys.

And I am not justifying anything.

Much love to you,

Paige

When I am weak, I am strong.

2011-12-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I havesobering moments where I become intensely conscious of my weaknesses. For me,realizing my limitations is somewhat painful because it reminds me that I amweak; that I am inadequate.

We all are.

And recently myprayers have been repetitive: “Lord I cannot do this but for You; Lord, if I amcapable of this, it is only through You; Lord, this has to be You because I amhelpless.”

But it alwayshas to be God.

When we realizeour limitations; when we realize our weaknesses, we do not have to wallow in anabyss filled with our lack of abilities. Rather, we become beyond capable through Christ. Realizing our weaknesses and imperfectionsemphasizes that which makes us able. And that which makes us able is the power of Christ that rests on us.

When we are weak,we are strong.

But we are notstrong on our own right. We are strong onlybecause being aware of our weaknesses causes us to rely fully on Christ. Relying fully on Christ means Christ’s powerrests on us.

Christ does notmake us solely capable. Christ equips usbeyond what we need. It would beimpossible to recount the times that I have cried out to the Lord because I amunqualified, inept, incapable, or weak. During these times, I become acutely aware of Christ’s power in me. And it feels surreal. And I act surprised as if it has not happenedbefore. It is during those times that Ibecome more capable than I ever could be on my own. It is during those times; it is during myweakest moments that the Lord’s work through me exponentially increases.

What anabsurdity: when we are at our weakest point, we are at our strongestpoint. What a beautiful reality thatdenying ourselves means receiving that which is far greater thanourselves. Christ’s power rests on us inits fullest measure when we are keenly aware of our utter helplessness withoutHim. Were one to externally assess thesesituations where I have been entirely helpless, one would think that it was Iwho caused the situation to end positively. In reality, those were the times when I was wholly aware of my relianceon Christ. While it is certainly true thatwe are always wholly dependent on God, we are not always wholly awareof that dependence.

If it is ourweaknesses; if is our limitations that propel our awareness of this dependence,then we must praise God for them.

Christ’s powerrests on me. Christ’s power rests onyou.

And so I willrejoice in these weaknesses, even when it hurts. I pray you rejoice too.

“But he has saidto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect inweakness.’ Therefore I will boast allthe more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight inweaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10 NIV).

“Now to him whois able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to hispower that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in ChristJesus. . . .” (Ephesians 3:20, 21 NIV).

Speaking of myweaknesses. Hello, sugarfreepeppermintmochacreamer. Get in my mouth.

Much love to you,

Paige

Casting gains context.

2011-12-11T06:53:00.001-08:00

I sometimesstrain through life. And I define every potential problem I may have,delineate every solution available, and often dwell on the worst outcome. And when I have come to terms with whatever outcome I decide is most probable,I feel relief but for a moment before I quickly move on to anotherproblem. And maybe you do this too. And we live our lives withfluctuating, but always existing, anxiety as if anxiety were our securityblanket.

But I wantGod’s perspective. And we need God’s perspective. Because in God’sperspective, in the light of God’s purpose for us, most we strain about becomesinconsequential. It is not that our Lord does not value our anxieties--He certainly does carefor us. It is more that our anxieties become peripheral to usin God's light.

We must seematters as our Lord sees those matters. When we cast our cares on ourLord, our Lord graciously opens our eyes to the context of our cares. Bydeliberately casting our cares on the Lord, we place those cares in the lightof God’s presence. The context of God’s presence becomes whatmatters. God’s presence reminds us of His promises. We gain theperspective that God is in control.

And we gainthe perspective that if we are seeking God, God’s purpose for our lives cannotbe frustrated; no anxiety, no circumstance, no horrific outcome, no plot of theenemy, no failure, and no pain can thwart the will of God in my life. Andin your life.

We do nothave to claw through life from anxiety to anxiety because God's perspectivecompels us to rest in Him.

Why do westruggle to cast our cares on our Lord? Perhaps it is my pride. Maybe I want to control the solution to my problem because I somehow think Ican obtain the outcome I want; I can obtain the bestoutcome; I am the solution. It is not that I manifestly believe thesefictions; these fictions are tangled in the deep roots of my problem--they arelikely subconscious, but they are no less a problem. Perhaps thesefictions pervade your thinking.

Before we canenjoy this blessing of peace in our Lord, we must give up control. Casting, by its very nature, is relinquishing control. Wemust recognize that we cannot find solutions in ourselves; we cannot find peacein ourselves.

Then, it isno longer about the solution to our problems; it is about the process of givingcontrol to God. Because once we do that, our responsibilities arecomplete. Giving control to God is truly the only element of the peaceprocess that lies with us. Our problems are far too big for us, but theyare not too big for our Lord. Any peace we find within our own solutionswill be temporary and superficial. If we do not realize our limits, wewill never realize our Lord’s peace.

I pray forhumility that propels us to give control to God. And this humility oftenhurts because it means realizing our own limitations. I pray wedeliberately cast our anxieties on our Lord. This is not a passive activitythat happens on its own. Praise God that our Lord wants to carry ourburdens. Praise God for the freedom that comes with Christ’s perspective.

“Cast allyour anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV).

“When anxietywas great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” (Psalm 94:19 NIV).

“Do not beanxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, withthanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, whichtranscends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in ChristJesus.” (Philippians 4:6, 7 NIV).

Oh, Eggnogcoffee. You hurt me so good.

Much love toyou,

Paige

Within.

2011-12-02T06:31:00.001-08:00

I praise the Lord for His presence. Although sometimes our Lord’s presence ismore real than other times, it is no less real and no less available to us always. This is something I have been dwelling on asthis Christmas season is upon us: ThatChrist’s presence on earth enabled us to have Christ within us. And I do not want to take this lightly. Because this one aspect of the Christmasstory coupled with the subsequent event of the cross is everything to me. It is everything to us—that our Lord came into the world, and that our Lord has come into our hearts.

Our Lord is here among us, as our Lord always was. But even more, our Lord is within us. And this emanated from our Lord’s life onearth.

The Lord is here. Heis here. He is here. Our Lord ishere.

And I have been saying it over and over again to myself asof late. And I want to remind you of it. That our Lord wants to reside within us is unimaginable to me. And the more I try to understand it, the moreour Lord’s love overwhelms me.

Let it overwhelm you.

It is like this newfound joy to remember that the birth of Christ initiated the events that enabled us to have Christ's presence within us. It is not just that we are new creations becauseof Christ. It is not just that our Lordmakes us new and leaves us to ourselves. It is that we are new creations withthe Lord within us.

How can I remain dismal; how can I remain distracted; howcan I remain unmoved in light of this glorious reality? And I understand that Iam dwelling on what may seem like an obvious aspect of Christ’s life on earth--His presence. But it is the Lord's presence that is the condition precedent to everything He has done for us.

Do we realize that God has called us? Do we realize that when we respond to God, we receivethe presence of God within us? For ourGod is always present without, but how magnificent that our God is presentwithin.

Do we truly realize that God, our Lord Jesus Christ; theCreator of Life; our Sustainer; our Redeemer; our Peace; our Joy, is present within us? It is not that we must pursue some distant being to obtain all of these things; for our Lord is all of these things forus because our Lord is here.

Our Lord ishere. Our Lord is here. Our Lord is here.

I pray we dwell on this reality. If you have not responded to our Lord’s calland have not experienced the marvelous presence of our Lord within you, Iimplore to you to do so. I pray that ifyou have responded to our Lord’s call, that this season is a reminder of thepresence of Christ on earth. I pray thisseason is even more a reminder of our Lord’s presence within us. Praise God that our Lord would make His homewithin our otherwise decrepit hearts.

"'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')." (Matthew 1:23 NIV) (emphasis added).

"Jesus replied, 'Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.'" (John 14:23 NIV).

"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26 NIV).

"Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. . . ." (Galatians 4:6 NIV).

Ode to you, Christmas cup. It's finally time for you.

Much love to you,

Paige

My times are in Your hands.

2011-11-28T14:42:00.001-08:00

I want to control my schedule. By controlling my schedule, I can control mysatisfaction in what I think I should be accomplishing. By finding my satisfaction in my to-do list, I also derive peace from that to-do list. By finding my peace and satisfaction in my to-do list, I control my life.

And when I believe this, I believe a lie. And maybe you believe this lie.

Our schedules may be ours, but time is not ours. Our Lord is the creator of time. Our Lord is the keeper of time. And our Lord is the owner of time. Surely the creator, keeper, and owner of time canmanage our schedules better than we can.

The Lord wants my schedule. And the Lord wants yours.

I am sorry that it took this frustration with my schedule for me to give control to God. Yet, this frustration reminds us that we must entrust every aspect of our schedule to theLord. And I believe this requires that westop believing the lie that time is ours. Because when we stop believing the lie that time is ours, we stop expecting our schedule to be ours. When we stop expecting our schedule to be ours, we stop becoming frustrated when our schedule is altered.

This propels us to rest in God throughout the day. Thus, we place our satisfaction inGod and not in our to-do lists. And I amspeaking just as much to myself as I am speaking to you. Each day we trust that the Lord helps usaccomplish exactly what we need.

And itis not a meaningless schedule in which we find our peace; it is our Lord JesusChrist in whom we find our peace.

I pray we rest in God every moment of this day. I pray we deliberately turn our schedulesover to God. For me, this has meant repeatedly saying, "My schedule is Yours, Lord." I pray we trust that eachday the Lord and what He has for us is enough. Praise God that the creator, the keeper, and the owner of time is mostequipped to manage our time.

“But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands. . . .” (Psalm 31:14, 15 NIV).

“And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there waslight. God saw that the light was good,and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called ‘night.’ And there was evening and there was morning—thefirst day.” (Genesis 1:3-5 NIV).

“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go tothis or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happentomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a littlewhile and then vanishes. Instead, youought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” (James 4:13-15 NIV).

Easy on the creamer this morning . . . at least for those of us who had to waddle to the coffeepot due to the Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes stuck to our booties.

Much love to you,

Paige

Two.

2011-11-18T06:42:00.001-08:00

My Pastor has said that you will never reach God's potential for you unless you gather with other believers. I do not want to overstress this point.

But I will. Becauseit is of utmost importance. Because God usesrelationships founded on Him as channels of God’s grace; God’s kindness; God’sencouragement; God’s voice. Upon everystep of my journey in Christ, I see a partner God sent me.

Praise God for His kindness toward us. Praise God that He inhabits these relationshipsfounded on Him. I encourage you to find a partner in faith. One for whom you can pray; one whom you canencourage; one whom you can hold accountable; one with whom you can bear; onewith whom you can grow. One who will dothe same for you.

My friend and I call these kingdom friendships.

It is not that these relationships are flawless. They are far from it. They are often even more challenging becausethey are premised on Truth and accountability. But it is this mutual commit to pursue Godtogether that distinguishes these relationships. It is Christ at the core of the relationship;it is the Christ I experience in my faith partner that gives me a glimpse ofour Lord’s kingdom.

And it is contrary to many of our superficial relationships. And it is so refreshing.

I pray the Lord prompts you to seek these kingdomrelationships. I promise they willchange your life. I thank the Lord forthe kingdom friendships we already have. Praise God for His kindness that He pours out through others.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good returnfor their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one tohelp them up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10NIV).

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpensanother.” (Proverbs 27:17 NIV).

“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. . . .’” (Genesis 2:18 NIV).

I would like to take a moment to reflect on this past week. More particularly, I would like to reflect onthe morning that I poured coffee all over the front of my drawers while drivingto class. . . and proceeded to wear the pants for the entire day. For those of us who are obsessed with coffee,the aroma of coffee coming from one’s pants throughout the day is not so glamorous.

Much love to you,

Coffee Crotch

And the Truth will set you free.

2011-11-15T07:13:00.001-08:00

I have an English Bulldog named Serge who is as stubborn asa mule. If you know anything aboutBulldogs, you know that stopping them once they have decided to do something islike attempting to stop a freight train. Although we have Serge on weight-management food, he loves to eat ourother dog’s food.

It usually goes like this: two bowls of food are sittingout, and Serge has finished his quota. Iwill see him sitting five feet from the other dog’s bowl. If I see Serge even glance in the directionof the other bowl, I know he is going to go for that food. It is a chain reaction every time. I must constantly remind him that I will beathis rear end at that moment I see him thinking about going for the other food. Otherwise, he is a goner. At the point he even looks in the direction ofthe forbidden fruit, I must stop him.

I imagine our minds work this way.

A friend has told me that our feelings start with ourthoughts. Thoughts lead to feelings, andfeelings lead to actions, and actions lead to habits. And before we know it, that one thought thatwas contrary to Christ led to habits that are contrary to Christ.

And this is why we must take every thought captive. The humor in my anecdote is not meant totrivialize this principle. Just as Imust address Serge at the moment I see him even considering the other bowl offood, I must address my thoughts at the moment they are inconsistent with our Lord. By addressing these thoughts, we alsoaddress our feelings that affect our actions that affect our habits.

And this is not a passive exercise. This exercise is also morethan combating sinful thoughts; we must combat discouraging thoughts; we must combatfearful thoughts; we must combat thoughts stemming from satan’s lies; we mustcombat flesh-filled thoughts; we must combat any and every thoughtcontrary to the Spirit within us. Thisexercise is more than deliberately realizing my thought is contrary to Christ. We must then make every thoughtobedient to Christ.

This is a two-step process that will not happenon its own: we recognize a thought is inconsistent with Christ, and wereplace the thought with Truth. Andthis requires that we know the Truth. Andthis requires that we are relentless because often we are replacing the samesingle thought with Truth over and over and over.

I pray we spend more time with our Lord and in His Word sothat we may know the Truth. I pray theLord prompts us to recognize our thoughts that are contrary to our Lord. I pray we recognize the lies that havepervaded our thinking so much so that we accept the lies as truth. I pray we take these thoughts captive bymaking them obedient to Christ. PraiseGod that He has set us free from mental strongholds.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itselfup against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make itobedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5NIV).

“The weapons we fight with are not weapons of theworld. On the contrary, they have divinepower to demolish strongholds.” (2Corinthians 10:4 NIV).

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set youfree.” (John 8:32 NIV).

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 NIV).

What if I told you I am a coffee-creamer hoarder? If this is a sickness, I don't want to be well.

Much love to you,

Paige

Because the Lord sustains me.

2011-11-10T21:24:00.001-08:00

I imagine parents are delighted when their children seektheir help. Just as any parentwants to help his child, the Lord wants to help us. Although God does not need to be needed, wecertainly need God. By need, I amreferring to more than just needing our Lord to redeem us. That is absolutely our greatest need. By need, I am referring to our Lord as ourhelp in everything—especially the little things.

When we fail to recognize our need for Christ, it is no lessa reality that we need Christ.

Our Lord is our creator, our sustainer, our refuge, ourprovider, our redeemer, our help, our protector, our peace, our joy, ourhealer, our strength.

And I can go on and on and on. Because we cannot do even the smallest actapart from God.

Our Lord does not need our recognition of thisdependence. But, our recognition of thisdependence is praise to our Lord. Although the praise this gives God is mostimportant, what this recognition does to the attitude of our hearts isinvaluable.

The more I recognize my dependence on God in everything,the more I ask God for help. The more Iask God for help, the more I am deliberately relying on Him. The more I am deliberately relying onGod—because in reality we are always relying on God—the more I am communingwith God.

And I want us to ask God for help in the smallthings. And this takes humility. But our need is reality.

Of course, it is easy for us to ask God for help in theoverwhelming things. But let us ask Godfor help in the minutia of life, in our everyday tasks that we haveaccomplished so often that we have become conditioned to think we areaccomplishing those tasks. If I cannot inhalewithout God, if it is God who sustains me, then I certainly cannot do one thing without God.

I pray we recognize that our need for our Lord is so greatthat we cannot even perform the trivial duties of life without our Lord’shelp. I pray we deliberately ask ourLord for help—especially in the areas where we are falsely conditioned to believewe can do something on our own. I praywe ask for help in the small things. Praise God that He is our everything.

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lordsustains me.” (Psalm 3:5 NIV).

“But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, OGod. You are my help and my deliverer;Lord, do not delay.” (Psalm 70:5 NIV).

“Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whosehope is in the Lord their God.” (Psalm146:5 NIV).

Mmmhmmmmm. Fall feels good.

Much love to you,

Paige

Initiate.

2011-11-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

If you areanything like me, then you want the one who wronged you to initiatereconciliation with you. I may have very well forgiven whomever wrongedme, but whoever wronged me must lead the resolution process, must come tome to make amends.

But Christ hasalways been the initiator.

How contrary thisis to our carnal nature. That our Lord, whom we have continually wronged,would pursue us to be reconciled to God. It is as if I have wronged youover and over and often in the same way, and every time you have chased me downto reconcile me. And even while you were pursing me for reconciliation, Iwas still offending you.

And it makes meemotional because our Lord’s love for us is nonsensical.

It was not thatwe did one offensive act; we were perpetually offensive. And He stillcame after me. And He still came after you. Christ came after us whilewe were in the wrong. Besides understanding the love of God thatis in Christ Jesus, I want us to be this love of God to others.

The goal is notto be right when somebody offends you; the goal is to be reconciled. Because God was absolutely right in not pursuing us, but Godcared more about reconciling us than demonstrating He is right. May we belike this in conflict. When somebody hurts us, may we chase down whomeverhas hurt us to reconcile that relationship. It is illogical; it ishumbling; it is painful because you were the one hurt, but it is refreshing; itis life-giving; it is pleasing to our Lord.

And it is whatour Lord did for me. And it is what our Lord did for you. And ourLord will give us strength to do it.

“But Goddemonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV) (emphasis added).

“Therefore, ifyou are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother orsister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of thealtar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer yourgift.” (Matthew 5:23 NIV).

“Finally, all ofyou, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate andhumble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On thecontrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that youmay inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8,9 NIV).

Oh baby. Myfirst gingerbread latte of the season.

Much love to you,

Paige

But the Lord was not in the earthquake.

2011-11-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

Recently, I wrote about our deliberate stillness beforeGod. Even more critical than ourstillness before God is the stillness of God. It is essential that we understand thisundeniable quality of our Lord. I urgeyou to grapple with it.

Because it is imperative that we discern the voice of ourLord.

And many times I am needing an answer from God, but I amstraining—straining to hear God’s voice. And I feel turmoil, and I wonder if the turmoil indicates that I am inthe wrong. And I wonder if the turmoil isGod’s voice.

But the Lord was not in the wind. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. And he was not then, and He is not now.

If our Lord is our peace, and if our Lord does not change,then our Lord does not speak through chaos or fear. Although those may be our natural reactionsto the Lord’s voice, we must discern what is truly God’s voice. And God’s voice is consistent with Hisnature.

And God’s voice is still. And when God speaks, even when what God wants of me is contrary to whatI am doing; even when I am fearful to obey what God has asked; even when I amin disobedience, God’s voice is no less still. God’s voice is peace. What I am experiencing does not change God’snature. If God’s voice cannot becontrary to God’s nature, then what I am experiencing does not change God's voice either.

I do not want to mislead you: God’s voice is certainlypowerful; God’s voice is certainly majestic. But we must not confuse the power of God’s voice with His voice. Although God’s voice may cause chaos in uswhen we are living contrary to God’s will, God’s voice is certainly notchaotic. The power in God’s voice ismutually compatible with the stillness in God’s voice. When God speaks to us in a gentle way, it isno less powerful.

And it is overwhelming to me at times to distinguish God’svoice. And much like discerning God’swill, we can become obsessed with discerning God’s voice. But the solution is not unattainable: themore we know the Lord, the more we know His voice.

We must consider if the voice we are hearing is our Lord’s.Consider if the voice is consistent with our Lord’s nature. Are you hearing condemnation? Because there is none in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1 NIV). Are you hearing that God is harming you? Because God is always working for the good ofthose who love Him. (Romans 8:28 NIV). Are you hearing that God cannot forgive you? Because if you confess your sins, Christ willpurify you from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9 NIV). Are you hearing that youare not enough? Because God’s grace issufficient for you. (2 Corinthians 12:9NIV).

I pray we talk to God more and listen to God more—that wemay know His voice more.

“The Lord said, ‘Goout and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord isabout to pass by.’ Then a great andpowerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord,but the Lord was not in the wind. Afterthe wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but theLord was not in the fire. And after thefire came a gentle whisper.” (1 Kings19:11, 12 NIV).

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glorythunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voiceof the Lord is majestic.” (Psalm 29: 3,4 NIV).

“And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV).

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives….” (John 14:27 NIV).

Speaking of voice. . .my husband likes to wait until I am belting a song in the car, so that he can stealthily turn the radio off as I am miserably attempting to hit the high note. Awkward.

Much love to you,

Paige

In quietness is your strength.

2011-11-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

How sweet are those moments when we experience God’spresence in a tremendous way. It is notthat God is more real, more present, more engaging during those moments. It is that we are more aware.

I want this communion with our Lord more often. I want this for you.

I notice that my awareness is intensified when I am quietbefore our Lord. By quiet, it is notthat we never speak; for often, we lament; we praise; we plead; we seek; we intercede. Byquiet, it is that we are fully engaged; it is that we are seeking to quiet allelse besides God’s voice; it is that we are listening restfully to our Lord.

Stillness in our environment is uncommon. Deliberate stillness in our environment iseven more uncommon. But the more weexperience the Lord’s presence in such an intense, undisturbed way, the more we hunger to experience the Lord.

I pray the Lord fills you with the desire to be still before Him.

I encourage you to be intentional about exercising quietness. And it is not always fun. And sometimes it is grueling. But this practice of denying all other things besides our Lord is good. And you will experience Christin a more keen way.

We are inundatedwith stimuli that dull our awareness of the Lord’s presence. Deliberate stillness will sharpen ourcommunion with Christ. Themore we practice quietness before Christ, the easier it will become.

I pray we become acutely aware of God’s presence—our Lord iseverywhere. I pray we exercisedeliberate stillness before our Lord. I pray our distractions decrease, and our communion with God increases. Praise God that we can always experience Him in a deeper way.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted amongthe nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 NIV).

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the onewho seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:26, 27 NIV).

“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel,says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is yourstrength, but you would have none of it….’” (Isaiah 30:15 NIV).

And sometimes it's a drink-a-full-pot-of-coffee-by-yourself-kind-of-day. For those of us who are still trick-or-treating in our adult years, please put on another pot.

Much love to you,

Paige

Porosity.

2011-10-28T06:59:00.000-07:00

Painful experiences can harden our hearts. And our hearts become hard to God.

I consider our hearts like a reservoir of Christ. The softer our hearts, the more porous we are to Christ and His Spirit in us. The more porous we are to Christ, the more Christ flows through us.

Pain can make our hearts impermeable. While impermeability may mean we are less susceptible to pain, impermeability of our hearts means we are less absorbent to the flow of the Spirit. Pain can cause me to focus on myself. We become so engrossed in seeking relief, in denying the pain, in being angry, in feeling sorry for ourselves, that we fail to look to Christ. And our condition worsens.

Constant communication with Christ keeps us open to Christ. Although I believe constant communication with Christ is always important, I find this communication especially important when our hearts are susceptible to being hardened. It is not that you need relief, it is that you need Christ. Constant communication with Christ means more of Christ; it means a more porous heart.

And my lack of communication with our Lord is often a symptom of my hardened heart. And our communication with our Lord is often the first to go when the going gets tough. And it is this communication with our God that we need more than anything.

During these times, my prayers have consisted of "Lord, I am hurting." It is not the prayer that matters, it is that we are praying; it is that we are calling upon our God. And by reaching out to God, our hearts are softened.

I pray you reach out to the Lord despite your pain. I pray your heart is softened.

I pray the Lord prompts us to confess the calcified areas of our hearts. Praise God that He removes the hardness in our hearts. Praise God that He can use pain to soften our hearts. I urge you to communicate with our Lord—even when you do not know where to start; even when your words are few.

"So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness...." (Hebrews 3:7, 8 NIV).

"I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me." (Psalm 57:2 NIV).

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18 NIV).

Allow me to introduce to you the Sexy Mexi that I stumbled upon at my favorite coffee shop. It is a latte with cayenne pepper and chocolate sprinkles on top. And it has changed my life. If a Sexy Mexi cannot start your engine in the mornings, nothing can.

Much love to you,

Paige

One body.

2011-10-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

When one breaks a bone, a doctor hasto set it. From what I can gather, thismeans putting the broken bones back together. Through this process, the bones will fuse. It is the cast or splint that keeps the bones together during this process.

This is what gathering together with other believers doesfor me.

As believers, we comprise the Body of Christ. Just as broken bones in our physical bodies need realignment with the rest of our skeletal frame, so does our spiritual journey need constant realignment with Christ. As a castprovides the support for a broken bone to remain aligned with other properly coordinated bones, so does the Body of Christ provide thesupport for our spiritual journey to remain aligned with Christ.

Then, Christ uses others who are seeking Him to help “set” our faith. When others bear with me inmy faith, in my struggles, in my joys, I better realize when a bone isunaligned, when the condition of my heart is incongruous with Christ.

And when I bear with others in their faith, in theirstruggles, in their joys, I am like Christ. And these reciprocal Christ-centered relationships bolster our relationship with our Lord.

And now I know why our Lord taught us to pray “OurFather.” (Matthew 6:9 NIV) (emphasis added). We were never meant to do faith alone.

I am not a doctor. Iam certainly not pretending to be. But, Iam absolutely convinced that meeting with other believers is medicine for mysoul.

And it will be medicine for your soul. And you will experience Christ’s provision inan unprecedented way.

I pray you seek others whom you can journey with in Christ. Praise God that He works so powerfullythrough relationships. Praise God thatHe does not expect us to endure our faith journey alone.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I withthem.” (Matthew 18:20 NIV).

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on towardlove and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habitof doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24, 25 NIV).

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were calledto one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God andFather of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV).

What is better than acuppacoffee? acuppacoffeefortwo.

Much love to you,

Paige

Remember.

2011-10-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

I once had a professor who told our class that he doesnot take ibuprofen when he has a headache. He went on to explain that he rarely experienced pain in thiscomfortable world in which we live. Without any pain, it is hard to identify with and remember what Christdid for us. Perhaps there is somethingto this.

In my comfortable world, it is too easy to be unmoved by ourLord’s appalling experience of the cross.

If you are going through a painful or otherwise stretchingexperience, I want to encourage you that it is not in vain. Even in those times where there is no plausiblepurpose for the pain, trust that God will use it for His glory. Whether the pain is physical or emotional, whetherthe pain is trivial or significant, our Lord is working for your good.

God uses our painful experiences for more than we canimagine. If nothing else, painful experiences help us identify with Christ. Thus, in every painful circumstance, we have somethingto gain: Although we will never fullyempathize with the suffering of our Savior—praise God—through every painful circumstance, we are that much closer to identifying with Christ.

And when I experience a scintilla of identification with Christ, I become all the more thankful for the enormity of pain Christ tookfrom us. And I am reminded that Christ's promises are no less true in times of suffering. And I remember the glory that is and will be revealed in us.

I pray you remember.

Thank You, Lord, that You use every one of our sufferingsfor Your glory. Praise the Lord that Hehas experienced suffering for us. Praise God that He is our refuge. Praise God that our earthly sufferings compare not to His present and future glory.

“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preservesmy life.” (Psalm 119:50 NIV).

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man ofsuffering, and familiar with pain. Likeone from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in lowesteem. Surely he took up our pain andbore our suffering…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed forour iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by hiswounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5NIV).

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worthcomparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18 NIV).

Come to mama.

Much love to you,

Paige

More than a pardon.

2011-10-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

I will never wish the torment of sin on anybody. It is certainly not God’s will for you.

I will forever wish the delight of grace on everybody. It is unlike anything you have ever known.

Through my stumbles, Christ showed me His grace in a deeperway. I had recognized that I needed Christ’s forgiveness. But, I did not need it—not in the way an individual constantly warring against a particular sin needs God's grace every moment. But, we all need God's grace in that way, in every moment.

Even when I am not manifestly struggling with a particular sin, I need God's grace no less.

Just as God’s grace exists inits fullest form always, so does the depth of our need for God’s grace exist in itsfullest form always. It is the understanding of this need that is pivotal.

When you become repulsed by your sin,you realize you are not enough. When you realize that you are not enough, you realize the depth of your need. When you realize the depth of your need,you cling to God. How many blessings I have missed when I enjoy God's grace, but fail to appreciate it.

I cannot believe our Lord has shared His grace with aperson like me and with people like us. And I always want this mindset. And I want it for you.

It unquestionably does not take the experience of sin toknow God’s grace—God certainly does not will for you to sin. But, it does take comprehension of ourfilthiness to know God’s grace. God did not need my sin to show me His grace. Grace exists as God exists; itis God’s nature. Yet, despite my sin and out of my sin, Godgraciously showed me my need, so that I may know Him more, so that I may praise Him more.

I pray we recognize the depth of our filth from which ourLord has cleansed us. Each time we learn that our sin was sicker, bigger, and more repulsive than we thought, we learn that God's grace is far greater still. And I am dumbfounded. And we will never fully understand it. But, with the increase in knowledge of our sin comes the increase in knowledge of God's grace.

In those times of repugnance when we are soberly aware ofour sick condition, we would be satisfied with a fragment of forgiveness, butGod gives us a feast. You are not onlyfree, but God’s grace has filled you with speechless gratitude that bends yourheart toward Christ. God's grace is not solely about forgiveness; God's grace transforms us into being more like Christ.

Then, grace is more than an undeserved pardon; grace is arevolution: God’s grace does not place you where you were before you fell;God’s grace propels you. Our Lord does not just cleanse you; our Lord adorns you. Our Lord Jesus does not just restore yourheart; our Lord creates a new heart within you.

I pray you experience the grace of God that is in ChristJesus.

Praise God for His kindness that despite the repugnance of oursin, God brings the sweetness of His grace. Praise God that He is willing to use the depth of our sinfulness todemonstrate that His grace is deeper still.

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people." (2 Corinthians 1:2 NIV).

"As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain." (2 Corinthians 6:1 NIV 1984).

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV) (emphasis added).

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26 NIV 1984).

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of his darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9 NIV 1984).

When this delectable duo merges, unicorns and butterflies pour out of my cup into my mouth.

Much love to you,

Paige

Interceding is agreeing.

2011-10-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

I am guilty of projecting my wishes and my expectations ontoothers. Sometimes I do this when prayingfor others. It is not that this isinherently selfish. Our wishes for and our expectationsof others are often altruistic.

But, prayer founded on what we think somebody needs presumes thatwe know what somebody needs. It presumesthat our expectations are what somebody is supposed to be. It presumes that my wishes are the best forthat person.

The reality that we can communicate with our Lord is agift. Equally as extraordinary, is the power to communicate with God on behalf of others. But, this intercessory power is multiplied when it is inagreement with Christ’s plan, Christ’s expectations, and Christ’s best for whom weare interceding.

If God wants our best and living in His will is thebest, if I want the best for whom I am praying, then my intercession is truestwhen I am in agreement with Christ.

Perhaps this is already how you pray for others. I am learning. And in this learning, the Lord challenges meto abandon my expectations of others in lieu of the Lord’s expectations. And in claiming Christ’s expectations of others, the Lord helps me become selfless. My expectations of others are generally tied to my personal fulfillment—evenif it is a subconscious personal fulfillment. Were I to wholly segregate my prayers for others from myself, I stillwould be biased because I am human.

But, when we intercede in prayer for others through agreementwith Christ, it is the Lord who is then interceding. And nothing is more powerful than that. And it is the most selfless prayer we can pray.

Sometimes agreement means theSpirit prompts me to pray a particular prayer for a particular person. Sometimes agreement means I pray a prayerpremised on God’s Word for another. God’s promises are a certain way to be inagreement with God. Lately, agreement means being in God’s presence in an attitude of agreement about whom I am praying.

What a relief that we do not have to do anything—that we cansay we agree, Lord, with what You are doing for whom we are praying. Praise the Lord that we do not have to know what to pray. Praise You, Lord, that in setting others free from our expectations, You set us free from selfishness. PraiseYou, Lord, that You are what is best and that we can fully rely on You toaccomplish that best in others’ lives.

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we havenot stopped praying for you. Wecontinually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all thewisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. . . .” (Colossians 1:9 NIV).

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that ifwe ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever weask—we know that we have that we asked of him.” (1 John 4:14,15 NIV).

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in ourweaknesses. We do not know what we oughtto pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordlessgroans. And he who searches our heartsknows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people inaccordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:26,27 NIV).

For those feeling gutsy, add a smidgen of this to your usual pot of coffee.

But, don’t you come crying to me when you lose friendsbecause they have grown weary of your coffee buzz.

Not that I know that from experience or anything.

Much love to you,

Paige

Constant.

2011-10-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

Our Lord is our hope. In times of trouble. And in timesof good.

Although I have professed this principle in word, my actions have professed that my hope is in peaceful circumstances. Believing that hope is in peaceful circumstancesis pseudo hope. Theoretically, we acknowledgethis. But, challenging circumstances havedemonstrated a flaw in my hope. Perhapschallenging circumstances have also demonstrated a flaw in your hope.

Let me explain. During a particularly stressful time, I received a phonecall. The phone call delivered goodnews. I experienced such a peace fromthe hope that everything was now going to be good.

But it was going to be good all along.

Many times we hope in God when circumstances aregood. It is not that this iswrong. God and His promises are verymuch present in good circumstances. Yet,in this accurate belief, we are still deceived. Solely finding hope in God in good circumstances is incomplete. This truth is only complete when we also findhope in God in troubling circumstances.

I know you believe this truth. But when we fail to exercise this truth, weforfeit the life of abundance to which Christ has called us.

If good circumstances create my hope, my hope in somethingother than Christ. And if our hope isanything other than Christ, it is no hope at all. Circumstances change, but our Lorddoes not. Our Lord and His promises areconstant. Thus, the hope that is in ourLord is constant.

Even in the most dismal circumstances, our hope remains becauseour God and His promises remain. And ifour hope is in our God, it is not the circumstances that will make ourexistence good. It is our hope in ourunshakable, unwavering, unfailing God that will make our existence good.

I pray we recognize any traces of pseudo hope in our lives. I pray that in good times we discern thedifference between hope in God and hope in good circumstances. And I pray that in bad times we ask ourselves if we are seeking hope in God or hope in a good outcome. And I pray that we rest in the constant hope inour faithful God and His promises. Praise You, God, that You are the hope that does not change, does notleave, does not end. I implore you totake hold of this hope.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NIV).

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” (Psalm 62:5 NIV).

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love hasbeen poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given tous.” (Romans 5:5 NIV).

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for Godmy Savior; my God will hear me.” (Micah7:7 NIV).

I have been waiting to share my favorite cup with you. I do not share it with just anybody, but I think we're to this point in our relationship.

Much love to you,

Paige

The indifference that is offensive.

2011-10-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

I find myself becoming inconvenienced when the Lord asks me to lay open my heart before Him. It concernsme that I find it easy to become indignant about the sin in others’ lives, and Ifind it even easier to be indifferent about the sin in my own life. I pray God prompts you to consider thecondition of your heart.

Even when our wrongdoing may seem relatively clean, ourhearts are not. And our Lordcares about our hearts.

I am comfortable with letting God search my heart when Imanifest my sins in a blatant way. Ifail to acknowledge the unconcealed, less disgraceful sins that equally pollutemy heart.

But, all sin is ugly because it affects our hearts. And I sin without even knowing it. Whether I acknowledge my wrongs or evenknow about them, my heart is affected.

By being indifferent, I am being offensive.

May we present ourselves to Christ, so that He may find anyunholy way in us. When we open our heartsto Christ, He extracts the deepest deposits that may house decay. Christ explores the creases of our hearts we may not evenknow about—depths so repugnant we choose not to know about them. We lack the power without Christ to address theseknotty layers of our hearts.

And throughthis process, we recognize our sin. And through the recognition of our sin, we recognize our need for Christ’s atonement. Even more, we experience Christ’s powerfulpurification of our hearts.

Then, even in times when God has not prompted us to confessour iniquity, laying bare our hearts before God in recognition of oursinfulness, in recognition of His holiness is a blessed activity. And I believe you will be blessed by it. And I believe our supplication for God topurify us—and God’s purification of us—continues to attune our hearts to be utterlydependent on God.

I pray we lay bare our hearts before God. I pray we become indignant about the sin inour lives. I pray we do not remainindifferent to the condition of our hearts. Praise God that despite the corrosive folds of our hearts, God wantsto search our hearts. Praise God that Herenews every unholy way within us.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you doflows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV).

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” (Psalm 139:1 NIV).

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know myanxious thoughts. See if there is anyoffensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23, 24 NIV).

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yetinwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV).

Cue Marvin Gaye because this is where the magic happens.

Much love to you,

Paige

We know. We receive. We find.

2011-09-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

I hate to belabor the topic of discovering God’s will forour lives. But, it is something aboutwhich I often stress. Maybe this is truefor you.

A friend recently asked why God would want us to miss Hiswill. This question likely exposes a common flawin our understanding.

“For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeksfinds; and to the one who knocks, the door willbe opened.” (Matthew 7:8 NIV)(emphasis added).

Perhaps the waiting is more important than the knowing. The seeking is more important than thefinding. The asking is more importantthan the receiving. When you wait, you know. When you seek, you have found. When you ask, you have received.

I thought the process was linear. After I wait on God, then I will know what God wants. After I seek God, then I will find what God wants. After I ask God, then I will receive what God wants. This presupposes that waiting and knowing, thatseeking and finding, that asking and receiving are separate occurrences.

They are indivisible. By waiting on God, we already know what God wants; by seeking God, we have already found what God wants; byasking God, we have already received what God wants. InMatthew 7:8, there is no “then” before receives, finds, etc. By placing the “then” there, I created alinear and a causal relationship between asking and receiving, seeking andfinding. I was the cause of the effect.

I was mistaken. Inreality, this process produces an undeniable reliance on God that we quicklyforget about when our query ends; when we think we have found the answer. But, Christ attunes our hearts toward Him duringthis process. And the process becomeswhat matters because the process is the result. We know, we find, we receive the moment we seek God,we ask God, or we wait on God.

Praise You, Lord, that we do not have to strain to discover Yourwill. Praise God that by the waiting,the seeking, and the asking of God, we are in His will.

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me findme.” (Proverbs 8:17 NIV).

“God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reachout for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:27 NIV).

Happy National Coffee Day a day late. And boy, is God good to give us that sacred holiday. . . . . . .

I may or may not have celebrated with this.

I may or may not have celebrated with that.

Much love to you,

Paige

Today.

2011-09-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

I trust that God will supply all of my needs today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Today. When I propelmyself into tomorrow or when I dwell on the problems of yesterday, I do it withoutGod’s presence. But, God has given mestrength for right now. By becomingencumbered with yesterday or tomorrow, I forgo God’s presence today. Right here, right now is reality. And the reality is that our Lord ishere. And the reality is that our Lordhas given us everything that we need for right now.

If anybody had reason to worry, surely it was the Son of Godwho foreknew God's plan. Even so, our Lord prayed and taught us to pray, “Give us todayour dailybread.” (Matthew 6:11 NIV) (emphasisadded). It is counter to my desire tocontrol this life. It is refreshing; itis freeing.

Our Lord is enough for you today. Enough for today. Enough for tomorrow. Enough for yesterday. Of course, our Lord is more than enough. More than enough for yesterday, today, tomorrow,and every day after. But, I pray youwill focus on today; the present; right now; this moment. Because that is all God promises us.

Rest in Christ for what is accomplished. Rest in Christ for theunaccomplished, the unplanned, the unresolved, and the unknown.

The Lord will give you strength to accomplish what you need to today.

Praise You, Lord, that You are more than enough for us always. Praise, You, Lord that you will meet our needstoday. You are sustaining me right now,so I will rest in You.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the richesof his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).

“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needsin a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, likea spring whose waters never fail.” (Isaiah 58:11 NIV).

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow willworry about itself. Each day has enoughtrouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34 NIV).

That's right. I'm drinking espresso as dark as the hair on a caveman's chest.

Maybe I lied. My friend sent me this picture yesterday--apparently she regularly enjoys coffee-that-is-black-enough-to-put-hair-on-your-chest. Kudos. I'm just a wannabe.

Much love to you,

Paige

What is that one small step.

2011-09-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

I warned you. I really do not know what I am doing. Here I am breaking Rule #23525 of How to Blog: to be the world's best blogger, respond to a comment in the comment section. I know, I know. Here I am responding to a reader's comment in a new blog post. This is all your fault.

I am humbled that a reader took the time to read my last post (The One Small Step). I am even more humbled that the reader responded to it. Thanks for your encouragement—Itruly do not know what I am doing (oh my dear goodness).

I am posting my response because the purpose of this blog is to fuel discussion--I do not want the discussion to be an afterthought, I want it to be the thought. And, here it goes:

In a nutshell, the reader asked, "How does one discernGod’s will for his/her life?"

Ireally can only answer this based on my personal experience—which others’ experienceshave confirmed. I am likely oversimplifyingthis often agonizing process; this process may also look different in differentcontexts. I apologize for beinglong-winded—even an oversimplified version of my complicated journey is. . .well,complicated.

The following have consistently been vessels for God’s voicein my life:

1. Prayer& God’s Word. This may seem likethe cliché answer. And it is. But, it is true. And they are inseparable—you need them both;together. We understand what God issaying to us through the Bible because we discuss it with God. You will experience how active God’sWord is—especially in giving you direction. Spend time engaging in God’s presence. If that does not give you firm direction, it will shape the attitude ofyour heart about God—and the latter is most important.

2. Prayer& Agreement. God speaks to mealmost always through His body of believers He has given me. I have a select number of family and/orfriends who speak into my life. (Ialways refer to these people as “my” body of believers—although they are verymuch God’s body.). I have seen theirpursuit of God, and I have heard the Lord speak through them. Most often, God puts something on my heartindividually and through prayer, those people are in agreement with what I haveheard. Sometimes those people havespoken into my life before God has spoken to me, and then God confirms what Hespoke through those people. Be carefulwhom you let speak into your life. Even godlyindividuals are humans first, so I encourage you to let the Spirit in you andGod’s Word test everything anybody says.

3. A Step ofFaith. If you have earnestly soughtGod through time with God, God’s Word, and others’ counsel and you have notreceived a no, pray about taking a step in faith. If the Spirit within you is not at unrest,take that small step in faith. I believeGod will confirm or deny the direction you are headed. Let me emphasize that we know when God saysno—at least God has made it extremely clear in my life when I am living outsideof His will. Also, maybe the waiting ismore important than the knowing. Easiersaid than done. God may confirm that hewants you to wait when you take a step and God says no or not now.

The most important element of all is the Holy Spirit thatGod has given us. If you havesurrendered your life to God’s call, you have Christ’s Spirit in you. I understand that differentiating betweenwhat the Spirit is telling you to do and what you are telling yourself to do isdifficult. What the Spirit prompts youto do will not be inconsistent with God’s Word.

Lastly, I want to encourage you. This all sounds so analytical; so clean; socalculated. My search for God’s will inmy life has been far short of that. Trymessy. Try impatient. Try selfish. Thank God for His grace. Manytimes I sought God’s will and never received confirmation about what I wassupposed to do. I look back and see howfoolish I am, but I also look back and see how gracious God is. In those times I really do not think itmattered what step I took as long as the step was predicated on my pursuit ofChrist. God’s grace was over me; it is over me now.

And it is over you.

Thanks for letting me share. Thanks for spurring me on to seek a better understanding of the Lord andthe Lord’s will. I am certain this understanding will continue to evolve. And this is why I like dialogue.

Alotttttttttttta coffee for Alotttttttttttta woman.

Much love to you,

Paige

The one small step.

2011-09-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

When God asks me to do something, I often attempt to determineevery subsequent step before I comply. More recently, I listed reasons why obeying God would be impossible,if not foolish, in my circumstances. Thedevil must love to create fear in us so that we become overwhelmed anddistracted with the end result of our obedience. And, when we become fixated on what willhappen if we obey, we project ourselves into the future devoid of God’spower. It makes sense that we becomeoverwhelmed.

But God has only asked that we take one small step.

We do not obey God for God’s love. We already have that, and we alwayswill. We obey God to show our love forGod. We obey because of God’slove.

How sweet it is to experience the joy of obedience toChrist. God, the One who created life; theMaker of heaven and earth; the One the wind and the waves obey, has asked youto do something. Our Father, who hasgiven everything for you; who loves you the same regardless of how you respond;who sustains you, has requested something of you. How gracious that our God wants to exemplifyHis power through this broken earthly creature. How can I say no?

God needs nothing. God certainly does not need us. God wants us.

I become easily overwhelmed just thinking about it.

If God has been putting something on your heart, putting acall on your life, asking you to step out in faith, or asking you for obedience,I encourage you to do so. The God wholoves you more than you will ever know; who directs you more than you will everacknowledge; who protects you more than you will ever realize; who showers youwith blessings beyond your comprehension cares enough about you torequest something of you. God will befaithful to carry you. God already has.

Praise God that we are not called to initiate or fulfillGod’s plan in our lives. God only asksthat we be willing. After all, we can donothing apart from Christ. Praise be toGod that we are not responsible for perfecting God’s overwhelming plan for ourlives. We only need to say yes.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you willbear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NIV) (emphasis added).

“Moses said to the Lord, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in thepast nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes themblind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teachyou what to say.’” (Exodus 4:10, 11NIV).

“You are good, and what you do is good; teach me yourdecrees.” (Psalm 119:68 NIV).

Oh sweet symphony in a cup! I hope this finds you doing well.

Much love to you,

Paige

Struggling with all His energy.

2011-09-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Although accepting God’s will for my life is the end goal,much of my life has been comprised of getting there. Maybe this is a reality for you that youhave been ashamed to admit.

I want you to know that it is okay to struggle with God’s will.

It is one thing to deny God’s will, and it is quite anotherthing to struggle with it. I imaginethat it is normal to struggle with God’s will for our lives—the will of God isso contrary to our humanity. While denyingGod’s prompting produces a spiritual paralysis in us, the struggle can producesearching.

Christ is our Peace. And, I believe you will experience that Peace—it is always there. Yet, the times we wrestle with whatever Godis trying to accomplish in us reminds us of our dependence on God; that we mustrelinquish control to God; that the work Christ wants to do in you is farbigger than you. My pastor oncesaid that if God’s plan for your life is not overwhelming, it may not be God’splan.

Perhaps it is problematic when we never struggle with God’swill.

If what matters is the attitude of our hearts; if whatmatters is that we are seeking God, then the struggle that produces searchingand forces us to rely on Christ is just that. Be honest with God about what you are experiencing. Express your struggle to God. Pour out your heart to Christ. The sincere cries of a struggling heart mustbe so precious to our Lord who works so powerfully in us. Praise You, Father, that our struggle with Yourwill is an invitation to and recognition of Your power in us.

“Then the man said,‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled withGod and with humans and have overcome.’” (Genesis 32:28 NIV).

“To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, whichso powerfully works in me.” (Colossians1:29 NIV 1984).

“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to himfor God is our refuge.” (Psalm 62:8 NIV)(emphasis added).

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all weask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).

For you calorie counters, you can just go right ahead and attach that pumpkin muffin to my booty because it was worth.every.bite.

Much love to you,

Paige

How wide and long and high and deep.

2011-09-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

Many people have grown up in the church and have failed toexperience the love of God. Many people saythe right things; do the right things; believe the right things and remain empty. For some time now, I have tried to pinpoint whatit is in those who hold unswervingly to their relationship with God. It is certainly not that they always make theright decisions or that they always do the right things—they actually don’t. Perhaps it is that they are always in lovewith Christ.

Those in my life that seem wholly committed to God havevastly different relationships with God and likely believe vastly differentthings. Yet, there is one thing incommon: a heart committed to knowing Christ. I cannot help but think that these people—in their response to God’slove—have sought to know God more. And,as they grew in their knowledge of God, they understood and experienced God’slove more. And once they experienced andknew the love of God, they could do nothing but love God back.

I want this for you.

To know God is to love God. When you have experienced genuinely knowing God, you have experiencedknowing His love, and you can do nothing but love God back. Our God is the kind of love that often leavesyou fumbling for words, so you whisper thank You. The kind of love that has done everythingalready for you; has nothing to gain; has nothing it needs. The kind of love that is scandalous becauseit pervades the deepest darkest wrinkles of your heart where others and evenyou will not trod. The kind of love thatwants you as you are but loves you too much to leave you there. The kind of love that is not premised onemotion. The kind of love that existseven when you do not feel it—that you have experienced far too many times todeny.

Too often we have glibly acknowledged what happened on thecross, and we have failed to seek a deeper knowledge of God. And, we have failed to be transformed. Too often we have let misrepresentations ofChrist define our experience of God’s love and our love forGod. We must go directly to thesource. Praise God for His love that isin Christ Jesus. I implore you toexperience it. I implore you to respondto it. And, I promise you will notremain unchanged.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.” (1 John 4:16 NIV).

“And I pray that you,being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all theLord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and highand deepis the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that youmay be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3: 18, 19NIV) (emphasis added).

“We love because hefirst loved us.” (1 John 4:19 NIV).

Today is a coffee-that-is-black-enough-to-put-hair-on-your-chest-kind-of-day. You see, we do not want arepeat of yesterday. Yesterday, I was sotired that I got dressed in the dark. After class, my husband informed me that my fly was wide open. And now you understand why.

Much love to you always,

Paige

Nice to meet you.

2011-09-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome! I would not be a dear friend to you if I did not urge you to continue at your own peril. Were I an experienced blogger, I might say otherwise. Truth be told, I have no idea what I am doing. (Good heavens, what am I doing?).

For some inexplicable reason, I cannot seem to get this blog idea off of my heart. I do know that I love to write and that throughout the day, I am often scribbling down whatever is on my mind. I also know that the Lord is prompting me to share what the Lord is sharing with me.

Whatever the actual purpose of this blog, I pray you are encouraged to seek the Lord. If I fail to share about the abundant life to which the Lord has called us, then I am doing you a disservice. May the words I share be saturated with my love for you and above all, with Christ’s love for you.

On a lighter note, grab your cup of coffee, cup of tea, glass of Coke, or bottle of Grandpa’s cough medicine, and meet with me. Cheers!

I know, I know. Want some coffee with my creamer?

Much love to you all,

Paige